Sub-10 fs jitter class
Representative RMS jitter targets in the 2-6 fs range over a 12 kHz to 20 MHz integration band place this source in an ultra-high-performance timing class.
LOW-JITTER MICROWAVE CLOCK SOURCE
Ultra-Low Jitter Microwave Clock Source for Next-Generation RF Systems
A precision 10.24 GHz microwave clock source engineered for radar, EW, phased arrays, advanced satellite architectures, and converter-heavy digital RF systems where timing quality directly affects signal fidelity.
Representative performance targets include sub-10 femtosecond RMS jitter, low phase noise, and deployable-environment packaging rather than lab-only form factors.
Product overview
What this product is
Why the clock matters
A microwave clock source provides the timing reference that determines when signals are generated, sampled, and processed inside high-speed RF systems. At multi-GHz converter speeds, even femtosecond-level timing errors can directly degrade signal clarity, dynamic range, and spurious performance.
Why this category is becoming more important
As architectures move toward direct RF sampling, digital beamforming, and higher-speed DAC/ADC paths, clock quality becomes a system-level limiter rather than a background specification.
What teams care about
- Ultra-low jitter at microwave clock frequencies
- Phase-noise and spur behavior that support clean synthesis and sampling
- Practical integration into deployed radar, EW, SATCOM, and converter platforms
- A path from evaluation setups into real subsystem integration
System impact
Why it matters at the system level
Clock quality increasingly determines whether the rest of a high-speed RF architecture can realize its theoretical performance. Better timing translates into cleaner generation, cleaner sampling, and a more credible system budget.
Supports better ENOB and dynamic range in converter-centric architectures
Helps reduce system-level spurious behavior linked to timing quality
Improves signal fidelity for direct RF sampling and beamforming approaches
Bridges precision-clock performance with deployable subsystem constraints
The clock is not a universal fix by itself, but in the right architecture it can remove a major timing bottleneck.
Capabilities
What this clock source is built to do
The emphasis is on real timing performance in a microwave-domain output, not just a low-frequency reference specification.
10.24 GHz microwave clock output
Designed around a nominal 10.24 GHz output frequency for systems that need a precision microwave-domain timing source rather than only a lower-frequency reference.
Reference-disciplined architecture
Leverages a stable 10 MHz external reference input and low-noise phase-locking techniques to translate a clean low-frequency reference into a high-frequency microwave clock.
Deployable-environment fit
Environmental targets and form factor are framed for real defense, aerospace, and mobile-system contexts, not just bench-top characterization.
Final architecture benefits should always be evaluated at the converter or subsystem level, where clock quality interacts with the rest of the signal path.
Applications
Where a low-jitter microwave clock source fits
This product is most relevant wherever converter timing quality and microwave-domain clock integrity affect overall mission performance.
Radar and SAR
Supports architectures where converter timing and spectral cleanliness influence target detection, image quality, and coherent performance.
Electronic Warfare
Useful in systems that require cleaner high-speed generation and sampling paths for microwave-domain signal creation and analysis.
Phased arrays and beamforming
Relevant to distributed timing and converter chains where clock quality can affect beam fidelity and overall array performance.
SATCOM and advanced communications
A fit for precision generation and sampling paths where timing quality and spectral purity both matter.
Converter evaluation and integration platforms
Well suited to DAC/ADC evaluation setups, characterization benches, and early integration prototypes where timing performance must be validated before subsystem commitment.
Prototype to deployment paths
Can bridge the early evaluation use case and the longer-term need for hardware that fits real airborne, mobile, or ruggedized environments.
Representative performance
Key performance highlights
Representative electrical and environmental highlights drawn from the released product datasheet. Final values should always be confirmed against the approved configuration and test conditions.
| Parameter | Representative value |
|---|---|
| Core output | |
| Nominal frequency | 10.24 GHz |
| RF output differential power | 2 to 6 dBm into 100 ohms @ +25 C |
| Timing and spectral performance | |
| RMS jitter | 2-6 fs integrated over 12 kHz to 20 MHz |
| Phase noise @ 1 kHz | -116 dBc/Hz |
| Phase noise @ 10 kHz | -136 dBc/Hz |
| Phase noise @ 100 kHz | -136 dBc/Hz |
| Phase noise @ 1 MHz | -146 dBc/Hz |
| Phase noise @ 10 MHz | -158 dBc/Hz |
| Non-harmonic spurious | -70 dBc |
| Reference spurs | -60 dBc |
| Deployment context | |
| Operating temperature | -25 to +70 C specified; -40 to +85 C functional |
| Vibration | 16.8 G RMS, 5 Hz to 2 kHz |
| Shock | 20 G |
| PCA nominal size (without housing) | 5.0 x 2.2 x 1.25 inches |
Representative values shown for G-MCS-10-12-000 hardware. System benefit depends on architecture, integration point, and the converter or RF chain being clocked.
Measured data
Representative plot set
Representative plots from released product collateral help show how the clock source behaves across phase-noise, amplitude-noise, harmonic, and close-in spurious measurements.
Hardware
Clock hardware for more than lab characterization
One of the main differentiators here is that the hardware is framed for system deployment, not just precision-bench use. That matters when the timing source has to survive temperature, vibration, packaging, and real integration constraints.
- Reference interface is designed around a stable 10 MHz external reference discipline path.
- Mechanical envelope is sized for practical subsystem integration rather than large instrumentation-only packaging.
- Environmental targets support evaluation for airborne, mobile, and defense-oriented operating contexts.
- Integration planning should consider where the timing source sits relative to converters, beamforming paths, and reference distribution.
Architecture
How the clock fits into a modern RF system
At a high level, the architecture translates a stable low-frequency reference into an ultra-low-jitter microwave clock that can feed high-speed generation and sampling paths.
- External 10 MHz reference disciplines the higher-frequency clock path.
- Low-noise microwave architecture and narrow-band phase-locking help preserve timing quality.
- System benefit depends on where the clock is inserted relative to converters and distribution.
Representative microwave clock-source context
Integration notes
What teams should define early
This kind of product is most successful when the integration point is defined clearly before the hardware is locked.
- Reference source and reference cleanliness assumptions
- Converter topology and where the clock enters the chain
- Distribution losses, connectoring, and packaging constraints
- Environmental and acceptance requirements for the deployment platform
The closer this product sits to the actual converter or timing distribution problem, the more meaningful the performance evaluation becomes.
Related solutions
Connect timing to the rest of the signal chain
Clock quality lives inside a larger architecture, so this product naturally ties into source generation, translation, and integrated subsystem work.
Microwave Synthesizers
Phase-locked source hardware for LO and precision generation paths.
YIG Oscillators
Microsource oscillator heritage that informs low-noise microwave source design.
Custom Integrated Microwave Assemblies
System-level packaging for converter, clocking, and microwave subsystem integration.
Next step
Need to evaluate ultra-low-jitter microwave timing in your system?
Discuss your converter architecture, reference strategy, operating environment, and integration point with Microsource to determine whether this clock source is the right fit.